mom: ok well, thanks for calling, I'll talk to you soon... (turns to the rest of the family) does anyone want to say anything to Mandy? Yell "we love you."
silence. long pause.
dad: (halfheartedly) we love you...
mom: did you hear that pause? hahahaha!
wow.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
10 gallon ascots
I dunno if I have mentioned this yet, but my weekends are far too long here. I don't really know what to do with myself, ever. It's especially difficult to find things that don't involve spending tons of money. Everything is expensive! Yesterday I got breakfast (only 3.40), bought a new wallet from H&M, and treated myself to a cheeseburger for dinner. Total cost?! about 17 pounds. That's 34 dollars! Clearly a normal relaxing weekend where you hang out and eat with your friends is not an option here. The other challenge is to find something I can do by myself, while everyone else is busy doing productive things. Basically it comes down to museums. There are plenty of them, so it shouldn't be an issue. But the problem is they close at like 5 or 6, and I usually don't wake up before 1 or 2 unless I have some motivation like class or a planned outing, but since it's always the weekend, I can sleep as much as I want! Today I was going to go the national portrait gallery, but since I slept so late, I am gonna go to the tate modern instead which is open on weekends until 10, even though I have already been there twice. This is the kind of pointless life I lead over here in England. Be jealous or full of pity, depending on your life philosophy-- I personally have not decided yet.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I do this thing occasionally where I will be talking about something academic in class, and suddenly slip into this really colloquial voice, causing everyone, including professors, to laugh. To take some examples from today, I used the phrase "whatever, man" to describe the reaction of the Welsh people to the armistice at the end of World War I, and then in the next seminar I proposed that the purpose of the film we were discussing was to make the intended white audience say to themselves, "dude, that sucks for the aboriginals." I believe I also commented that the film was, "pretty much a downer all the way through."
This kind of thing was embarrassing enough back at UCSD where such phrases were at least part of the normal vocabulary of my classmates. But here, where even their slang sounds more formal than mine could ever be, I stick out like a sore thumb. An English student, talking about the same movie, would have probably said something like "Surely the film is meant to place the white audience member in the position of the aboriginal child, inviting a kind of compassion that, at the same time, borders on condescension." I can do the academic voice, you see. The problem is, I usually don't forget myself and start speaking in Californian unless it's something I feel strongly about. So while I'm dead serious, the rest of the room thinks I'm trying to make them laugh. Luckily they seem to find it charming or something. I would much rather win the approval of my peers through actual intelligence than by just being a novelty, but I am hesitant to stop doing anything that gets me a friendly smile from one of those terribly attractive young english guys. (like the subject and also the nationality, get it?!?!)
This has gotten me thinking about how it really must take a long time to fully lose an accent. That is why I refuse to forgive my Modernist Fiction professor. I don't care where you did your PHD or how long you have lived in London--people should not have to be subjected to hour-long lectures where people say things like "the ways in which modernism was a product of the technological advances of the time period," in a horrible, pretentious, annoying, half-American-half-British accent. It just should not be allowed. Pick a side, for the love!
This kind of thing was embarrassing enough back at UCSD where such phrases were at least part of the normal vocabulary of my classmates. But here, where even their slang sounds more formal than mine could ever be, I stick out like a sore thumb. An English student, talking about the same movie, would have probably said something like "Surely the film is meant to place the white audience member in the position of the aboriginal child, inviting a kind of compassion that, at the same time, borders on condescension." I can do the academic voice, you see. The problem is, I usually don't forget myself and start speaking in Californian unless it's something I feel strongly about. So while I'm dead serious, the rest of the room thinks I'm trying to make them laugh. Luckily they seem to find it charming or something. I would much rather win the approval of my peers through actual intelligence than by just being a novelty, but I am hesitant to stop doing anything that gets me a friendly smile from one of those terribly attractive young english guys. (like the subject and also the nationality, get it?!?!)
This has gotten me thinking about how it really must take a long time to fully lose an accent. That is why I refuse to forgive my Modernist Fiction professor. I don't care where you did your PHD or how long you have lived in London--people should not have to be subjected to hour-long lectures where people say things like "the ways in which modernism was a product of the technological advances of the time period," in a horrible, pretentious, annoying, half-American-half-British accent. It just should not be allowed. Pick a side, for the love!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
new pictures
I've added a whole bunch of pictures from Dublin trip that were taken by Jessie and Denver. Go have a look if you're interested. If you're not interested, just look at this one!
Monday, March 3, 2008
I am currently having a mild anxiety attack about the spring. First of all, the idea of this school year ending had finally become real and suddenly I am panicking, trying not to waste my time here and cram as much as possible into my remaining months. But the cramming just makes me more anxious and stressed out. A lot of things are up in the air because I have absolutely no clue when my final exams will be. So I can't properly plan my mom's visit, or my trip to visit Friede and Urs in Germany, or any other potential visits and/or trips. I won't know those exam dates for two more weeks so until then I will just have to live with the uncertainty. It's just hard when other people are waiting on you to make decisions.
Until then I will be busy enough planning out my eurrail trip with Matt. He, Jason, and Jason's girlfriend are getting here on the 21st, the day after my classes end. The three of them will go to Paris and Brussels, while I stay here and hopefully work on my essays. A few days later I will meet them in Amsterdam, hang out there for a while, and then the other two will leave and Matt and I will travel southward by train. The tentative plan is southern Germany, Austria and/or Switzerland, and Italy. I am really excited to take the train, since flying is a huuuuuuuge pain in the ass, especially when you buy the cheapest flights (which of course I always do), and not nearly as scenic. Unfortunately, traveling with my brother, I am unlikely to meet the love of my life en route to Vienna and wander the streets with him all night (I just watched Before Sunrise--such a great film!).
Anyway, it will be a very eventful spring, and hopefully I don't fail all my classes. That's basically all I wanted to say.
Until then I will be busy enough planning out my eurrail trip with Matt. He, Jason, and Jason's girlfriend are getting here on the 21st, the day after my classes end. The three of them will go to Paris and Brussels, while I stay here and hopefully work on my essays. A few days later I will meet them in Amsterdam, hang out there for a while, and then the other two will leave and Matt and I will travel southward by train. The tentative plan is southern Germany, Austria and/or Switzerland, and Italy. I am really excited to take the train, since flying is a huuuuuuuge pain in the ass, especially when you buy the cheapest flights (which of course I always do), and not nearly as scenic. Unfortunately, traveling with my brother, I am unlikely to meet the love of my life en route to Vienna and wander the streets with him all night (I just watched Before Sunrise--such a great film!).
Anyway, it will be a very eventful spring, and hopefully I don't fail all my classes. That's basically all I wanted to say.
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